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Long-tentacle Anemone
Condylactis doreensis
The long-tentacle anemone is a large, stinging marine invertebrate that requires a deep sand bed, intense lighting, and highly stable water parameters.
Class:Anthozoa
Order:Actiniaria
Family:Actiniidae
Genus:Condylactis
Species:Condylactis doreensis
Formerly known as:Macrodactyla doreensis
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Water Temperature
22 - 26 °C
pH Value
8.1 - 8.4
Water type
Marine
Minimum group
>= 1
KH
8 - 12 dKH
Species description
Geographical Origin and Habitat: Macrodactyla doreensis is a marine anemone species native to the warm tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific, ranging from southern Japan down to the northern coasts of Australia. Its typical habitat consists of shallow sandy lagoons, muddy tidal flats, and sheltered reef bays at depths generally between 1 and 15 meters. It lives partially buried in the sandy sediment, with its basal disc (foot) anchored to buried rocks or shells, exposing only its tentacle-covered oral disc to the water and sunlight.
Taxonomy: It belongs to the class Anthozoa, order Actiniaria, family Actiniidae, and the genus Macrodactyla. It is commonly known as the long-tentacle anemone or corkscrew anemone due to the characteristic spiral twisting of its tentacles. This species establishes symbiotic relationships with several clownfish species (primarily Amphiprion clarkii, Amphiprion perideraion, and Amphiprion chrysopterus) and certain Periclimenes shrimp.
Social Behavior: This is a sessile organism that nevertheless retains the ability to move slowly by crawling over the substrate if it finds its lighting, current, or water chemistry conditions unsuitable. This erratic movement can present a severe danger to other sessile invertebrates. It exhibits aggressive physical and chemical territoriality: its tentacles release potent stinging toxins that can severely damage or kill nearby corals.
Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: The coloration of the oral disc and tentacles varies widely, including shades of brown, gray, green, orange, or purple, often marked with light radial stripes radiating from the mouth. The column or foot is characterized by a bright, vivid red or deep orange coloration, covered with small whitish warts arranged in vertical rows on its upper portion. There is no external morphological sexual dimorphism.
Care, breeding and tankmates
Tank Setup: Requires a well-established marine reef aquarium of at least 200 liters. The key factor for its setup is a very deep, fine sand bed of at least 10 to 15 centimeters. This is essential to allow the anemone to bury its column and secure its foot onto the bottom glass or buried rocks. Live rock should be arranged to avoid blocking access to the sandy floor.
Diet and Feeding: It is a partially photosynthetic organism that derives nutrients from its symbiotic zooxanthellae. However, it benefits greatly from weekly targeted feedings of small pieces of fresh or frozen meaty foods like shrimp, mysis, krill, or chopped fish. Food should be gently placed on the tentacles near the mouth; avoid feeding pieces that are too large, as they will be regurgitated.
Water Quality: Absolute water stability is required, typical of a mature reef system. The temperature should be maintained between 24°C and 26°C, pH between 8.1 and 8.4, and specific gravity (salinity) between 1.023 and 1.025. Nitrites and ammonia must be zero, with nitrates below 10 ppm. High-intensity lighting (reef-grade LED or T5) and moderate, indirect water flow are mandatory.
Compatibility and Tankmates: The ideal compatibility is with symbiotic clownfish, which provide protection and cleaning. It is highly incompatible with stony and soft corals due to its stinging tentacles, and must be placed far from them. It is critical to cover the intakes of all powerheads and wavemakers with fine mesh to prevent the anemone from being sucked in and shredded, which causes fatal injuries and a biological crash of the tank.
Aquarium Breeding: Reproduction in captivity is extremely rare and difficult. It can reproduce asexually through longitudinal fission, where the animal splits into two separate individuals, or sexually by releasing gametes into the water column. In an aquarium, sexual reproduction is often triggered by environmental stress and can cause severe water cloudiness and oxygen depletion.
Risks and Diseases: The main health risks are acclimation stress and failure to anchor its foot. An unanchored anemone will quickly deteriorate. Bleaching indicates the loss of symbiotic zooxanthellae due to excessive heat or inadequate lighting. Bacterial infections can present as brown mucus secretion or tissue decay, requiring immediate water changes and correction of water quality.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Macrodactyla doreensis is a marine anemone species native to the warm tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific, ranging from southern Japan down to the northern coasts of Australia. Its typical habitat consists of shallow sandy lagoons, muddy tidal flats, and sheltered reef bays at depths generally between 1 and 15 meters. It lives partially buried in the sandy sediment, with its basal disc (foot) anchored to buried rocks or shells, exposing only its tentacle-covered oral disc to the water and sunlight.
Origin
Tropical oceans and reefsNorth AmericaEast AsiaAustralia, New Guinea, and Oceania
Invertebrate profile
- Diet
- No verified data available
- Ecological role
- No verified data available
- Life expectancy
- No verified data available
- Adult size
- No verified data available
- Jump risk
- No verified data available
- Shock sensitivity
- No verified data available
- Calcium and minerals
- No verified data available
- Molting
- No verified data available
- Reproduction
- No verified data available
- Compatibility & tankmates
- No verified data available
Image gallery
Licensed images linked to the species or, when marked, to the closest representative taxon.
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